Spirally wound storage cell



Nov. 8, 1949 E. F. WEBB SPIRALLY WOUND STORAGE CELL Filed Nwys, 1947 INVENToR Zinio/1J F.' Wel/5.

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Patented Nov. 8, 1949 SPIRALLY WOUND STORAGE CELL Edmond F. Webb, Franklin Village, Mich., assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park,v Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application November 5, 1947, Serial No. 784,257

1 Qlaim. (Cl. 13613) My invention relates to batteries and more vparticularly to the wet type Vstorage batteries.

The space available for a storage battery in most mechanisms that require storage batteries is more or less xed. This is easily seen in the modern motor vehicle where the space allotted to the battery is usually standard. Thus when it becomes necessary to increase battery performance, as for example to increase the current supply to facilitate the cold starting of an internal combustion engine, it can best be done by crowding more plate area into the same volume. This may require thinner plates, thinner separators, and reduction of water space. Factors that limit the use of thin plates in the common ilat form are the mechanical strength and resistance to shock as well as conductivity and corrosion.

It is a principal object of my invention to provide a battery cell of the type that employs thin plates thereby increasing the effective surface of the plates as w'ell as the discharge capacity of the cell.

Another object of my invention is to provide a battery cell of cylindrical shape having plates of a spiral construction that will be self-supporting and thereby capable of sustaining great shock and vibration.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a storage battery cell that is 4very simplified in structure as well as economical to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from the following description taken in connection with/the accompanying drawing ln which:

Fig. l1 is a plan view of a storage battery having cells electrically connected in series and embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a :vertical section view taken on the line 2-@2 ofFig. 1. l Y

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional viewitaken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to Fig. 1 I haveshown' three wet type storage battery cells of the type emseries. Connectors I provide a suitable connection between the cells so that the voltages of iny dividual cells are numerically added. If desired has one ofits edges...extending...downwardly bey In Figs. 2 and 3 is shown a storage battery v cell of the type shown in Fig. 1 comprising a cylindrical casing II which is ad .pted to house a storage battery plate unit generally designated by the numeral I2. The casing II is provided with a bottom wall I3 which in turn is provided with upstanding ribs I4. The ribs I4 hold the unit I2, which may be inserted through the open end I5 of the casing in spaced relation to the bottom wall I3. A capl I6 for Iclosing the open end I5 of the casing is provided with an annular flange I1 which is adapted to be positioned within an annular groove I8 formed in the end of the side wall of the casing II. The cap I6 seals the unit I2 within the casing I I. The cap I6 is provided with a threaded aperture I9 for receiving a threaded plug 20 as well as with apertures 2I and 22 which are adapted to receive positive and negative terminals 23, 24, `respectively, of the plate unit I2. The plug 20 is of thel conventional type for facilitating the filling of the casing I I with electrolyte and is provided with an outlet 25 which allows the internal gases of the storage cell to escape.

The vplate unit I2 comprises a generally concentrically coiled positive and negative plates 2li4 and 21 respectively, shaped in the form of a spiral with insulating material 29 so positioned therebetween that no portion of either the positive or negative plates will touch the other. The plates 26 and 21 and the insulating material 29 are so lpositioned in their spiral form to denne an opening in the middle thereof to allow the` circulation of.v electrolyte.l The positive plate as positionedfinitsspiral form hasone of its edges extending upwardly "above the negative plate, as clearly shown' inFlg. 2, so that portions of vthe plate 26 may be connected to a terminal bar 29 which is in turn connected to the positive terminal 23. Similarly, the negative plate 21 jyond thef,.positive plate 26, asfclearly shown in .bodying my invention electrically connected inve.

Fig. 2, to `enableportions of the negative plate i to be connected to tlfieelongated` terminal bar 30 which is in turn connected to the negative terminal 24. The terminals 23 and 24 and terminal bars 29 and 30 preferably comprise lead and the terminal bars 29 and 30 are fused or otherwise united with their respective terminals and with the plates 26 and 21, respectively. In this manner the bars 29 and 30 not only serve as connections between the plates 26 and 21 and their respective terminals 23 and 24 but also as means for holding the unit I2 in a compact position.

PriorA to assembly into the spiral form. they positive and negative plates 26 and 21 are in an' ing assembly of these pasted grid-like positive' and negative plates 26 and 21. respectively. they are positioned in a face to face relationship with the lengthwise and transverse edges of the plates off-set and a layer of porous insulating material 28 is positioned intermediatev the plates 2S and 21. The length wise edgesoi the plates are oi-setso that the portions of the respective plates may be .connected tov their respectiveterminals as heretofore mentioned. The transverse edges of the plates are oir-set to facilitate a cylin- A drical form of the uniti2 after the plates have been brought to the spiral form. The plates are also vprovided `with an additional layer of porous insulating material 28 which is adjacent the exterior of one 'of the plates 26 or 21 so that when the plates arebrought to a spiral form, no portion of either plate-Will touch the other. The plates and layers of l porous insulating material are then rolled into a spiral form as more clearly shown in Fig, 3, and thereafter are provided with rings 3i comprising insulating material which not only preserve their spiral shape, `but also position the unit i2 in spaced relation to the side wall of the casing ii.

It may be noted that prior to and during assembly of the unit i2 the positive and negative plates 26 and 21 are composed of like material. However, these plates are changed in composition after a forming charge is applied to the cell at which time the positive plate 2E may be coated with lead oxide and the negative plate 21 may be coated with spongy lead if the conventional materials are used in the formation of this cell.

The type of electrolyte used may be of any conventional composition such as a dilute solution of sulphuric acid and water. When electro-motive force is supplied by a battery Aof this type to a complete electrical circuit so as to produce a flow of current, it is produced by the acid of the electrolyte soaking into and combining with the porshould be noted at this point that the ribs u of the bottom wall il not only position the unitl lawithin the easing il, but also elevate the unit I2 abovc` the end wall I3 so that -the sediment dripping irom the plates will notfshort out the battery'l Plate units oi the above construction can be employed in cells of batteries of various types in' ciuding nickel-iron cells.

Although but one speciiic embodiment of materials is described in the construction of the battery herein disclosed. it can be readily seen that in the broader aspects oi my invention, any suitable types of materials may be used.

I claim: A storage battery cell including a casing comprising insulating material and having a floor provided with an upstanding insulating support element, a generally cylindrical Ibattery plate unit comprising spaced spirally wound elongated positive and negative plates .having a plurality of turns and being offset axially relative to each other, edge portions of said positive plate protruding axially in one direction from an end of said unit and edge portions of said negative plate protruding axially in the opposite direction from the other end of said unit, a spirally wound insulator between said positive and negative plates, rst terminal means extending across one end of said unit comprising a rigid metal strap fused to said protruding portions of said positive plate,

ous active material of the plates 26 and 21. It

said battery plate unit by tying together the adl a'acent convolutions thereof and one of said terminal means being seated upon said upstanding support elements.

EDMOND F. WEBB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNrrEn STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,361,533 Endress et al Oct. 31, 1944 2,422,046

Ruben June 10, 1947 A 

